Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs Manchester United as Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo scored but Kobbie Mainoo was the match-winner at Old Trafford
17:26, 03 May 2026Updated 17:33, 03 May 2026
Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Man Utd.
Dominik Szoboszlai celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Man Utd.(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
OLD TRAFFORD, MANCHESTER // When it looked like the tide had turned, Kobbie Mainoo had other ideas. Liverpool had done well to come back from two goals down, but there was another hammerblow lying in wait.
Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko had put Manchester United two ahead before the 15-minute mark, with Michael Carrick's men taking charge of the contest early on.
Liverpool was simply unable to offer much of a threat until Amad Diallo gave possession away just after coming on, and Domink Szoboszlai was able to glide forward and finish unchallenged. Soon after, Cody Gakpo leveled.
If it was Manchester United with energy and Liverpool lacksadaisical in the first half, the roles reversed in the second. These are, after all, two flawed teams with plenty to improve. Mainoo's strike from the edge of the area proved the difference.
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Winners
If this was a chance to lay down a marker ahead of next season in a clash between two sides set to qualify for the Champions League, it was quite clearly Manchester United that took that opportunity in the first half.
Liverpool, lacking options and depth in attack, was unable to really stamp its authority on the game until the second, going behind early and struggling to gain any kind of attacking momentum from there.
Szoboszlai and Gakpo were central to the change, but it was tactical as much as anything. Arne Slot got it wrong to start with and then corrected himself. It wasn't quite enough.
Losers
Andy Robertson would have been hoping for a fairytale ending to his battles with Manchester United as a Liverpool player, while Mohamed Salah wasn't even fit enough to come off the bench.
Across the board, the Reds players didn't fight hard enough to begin with and were physically no match for their counterparts. That changed after half-time but Robertson wasn't on the pitch for long. In the end, the Reds didn't have enough.
Player ratings
Freddie Woodman (6). This was the biggest stage that he has performed on in his career so far and things quickly unraveled. He wasn't able to stop Manchester United taking a quick 2-0 lead. After that, did well to keep his cool and showcase some solid distribution.
Curtis Jones (6). Playing at right-back once again, it is a role that he has become used to of late. He wasn't as effective in the build-up here, though, and was unable to do much to help out defensively in the opening stages. Better in the second half than the first, like the team.
Ibrahima Konate (6). Battled well with Benjamin Sesko at times but the whole of the Liverpool team lacked the ability to win their duels. The Frenchman was far from the only one. Fine, but nothing more.
Virgil van Dijk (6). An experienced head at the back, he was visibly frustrated by a lack of movement in front of him at times. He did what he could in the first half, with plenty of Manchester United runners having loads of space to exploit in front of him. Got his wish for more aggression in the second period.
Andy Robertson (5). In ahead of Milos Kerkez, with the Hungary international having been managing an injury this week, he struggled to make much of an impact going forward and was beaten too easily a few times by Bryan Mbeumo. The first Liverpool player to come off.
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Jeremie Frimpong* (5). *He may not have played had Alexander Isak been fit enough to be involved and was bundled off it too easily at times. His speed is useful, but Cunha did well to track back and he had two or three defenders around him almost at all times.
Ryan Gravenberch (5). In possession, he was decent enough. Out of it, the Liverpool midfield duo simply had too much to do as a two. They were outnumbered and not as physically strong. That changed in the second half with the tactical alteration, but he was still far from perfect.
Alexis Mac Allister (6). An experienced performer in this fixture, like Gravenberch, he did well to put his foot on the ball at times, but simply couldn't do the running that he was being asked to do because of the system. When that changed, the game did.
Cody Gakpo (6). When he was on the left, rather than through the middle, he drifted inside but got crowded out. Lots of the ball aimed into his path seemed to be in the air for him to head on. As the number nine, it just made loads more sense and it didn't take him long to get on the scoresheet.
Dominik Szoboszlai (7). Offering plenty of energy in the middle, the false nine experiment didn't really work. He wasn't a midfielder and he wasn't a forward, ending up not really doing much at all in the first half. He took his goal well early in the second and looked a different player with Gakpo ahead of him.
Florian Wirtz* (6). *He will need to step up in games like these next season. Without Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Mohamed Salah, there was a mitigation for the attacking troubles here, but that won't be the case forever. He was fine in the first half and stepped it up in the second when the team as a whole did.
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Substitutes
Milos Kerkez (6). On to add some more energy down the left in the second half, the 22-year-old did well to get up to speed quickly. Defensively fine; unable to do much going forward to add to the attack.
Rio Ngumoha (6). Smashed a shot wide when Szoboszlai was in a good position, which did not go down well with the Hungarian.